Hello

Like most of you I suffer from cluster headaches. Prior to my PCP referring me to a neurologist I didn't know what was going on. I was at a friends house and a group of use were all watching a movie. I was 25 at the time. So were just sitting around laughing and eating. So I pour myself a glass of wine. I'm sitting on the couch and all of a sudden I get this intense headache. So I sit there thinking it will go away. And then I got this pain I never felt before in my right eye. One of my friends looked over and asked if I was ok. And I said I just got a really bad headache. So my friend who's house it was got up and gave me some Motrin. I think they were 500mg tablets. So I popped 2 of them and sat down. The pain just kept getting worse and worse. So without saying good bye to anybody I slowly walked out the door and jumped in my car. I went home and laid there in bed waiting for the Motrin to kick in. grab a cold towel and place it over my eye because it was burning. I laid there shaking in bed. I forced myself to go to sleep. I closed my eyes and it seemed like the Motrin started to work. About 2 hours later I woke up screaming. My head was pounding so hard that I could not see straight. I touched my temple and could feel my veins and it seemed like they were going to burst. My mom came running in and asked me what's wrong. I yelled at her I don't fucking know take me to the hospital. I stayed in the hospital until the next day. I have asthma and I guess the anxiety had my asthma flair up. I went to the ER a total of 9 times over the course of a week because the pain was that intense and I thought I was having a stroke or aneurysm. They prescribed vicodine and percocet and all those did was make me sleepy. And when I would wake up the pain was still there. Then one appointment my pcp referred me to a friend of his who is a neurologist. I went to go see Dr. Regis Kwo and he did the normal test CT and MRI. Those came back fine. And then he asked me a bunch of questions. Just asking me about the headaches and everything about what I would experience before and after. After about 30 minutes. He said you have cluster headaches. And he pulled out this huge medical book and also had a replica of the human brain. And it all made sense. The pain behind my right eye, the fact that they would happen at the same time every night 11pm, the fact that the first headache woke me out of my sleep, how my eye would swell up, and the veins around my temple would be pulsing. It all made sense. So he put me on imitrex 100mg tablets. And told me to only take them when I felt like a headache was coming. And I did. I would usually take only 1 tablet a day. For the next 5-7 weeks I took imitrex. Towards the end of my cycle I would get headaches in the daytime. But most of them at night. From December 2007-January 2008 I was not the same person. I remember being out with friends at a super bowl party and I had a drink and I got a headache in less than a minute. And I remember running to my car to take my imitrex. I feel asleep in the car and missed the super bowl. And as soon as they came they went away even faster. I stayed away from alcohol for 5 months. So here I am today 3 years later writing my story because I needed to remind myself of when it first started. I have been Cluster free for almost 3 years. But last night I got a headache. I laid down thinking I can mentally make it not come. But it came. My supply of imitrex had expired being that I had not had a headache for so long. But I took one of the pills anyway. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 3 years. I actually meet him when my cycle ended. So he has never experienced it. I felt so bad for him having to witness me jumping out of bed and pacing back and forth. He would try to ask me a question and I would just tell him to leave me alone.  :'(
So I finally was like can you drive me to the ER. And I got seen in less than 10 mins. And I was put on oxygen and got a shot of imitrex. I don't know what my trigger was this time. I hadn't had any alcohol for 3 months because I'm working out with a trainer. The only thing I can think of is that it has to do with the smoking. I do smoke cigarettes way less than a pack a day. More like 4-6 a day. I ate before the attack. I had hamburger helper. And I always use turkey instead of ground beef since I don't eat ground beef. So I'm really trying to figure out what my trigger was. I think it's the smoking. And if that's the case then god just gave me a reason to quit.

Thank you all for being here. And hopefully one day they can find an actual cause and cure. 

Hi Dashawn

So sorry you had to go through this shit!....
Welcome to the well trodden CH highway!
That post will echo amongst this small community, back to 'Day one' for many here....
It is good to be reminded once in a while.....

It does make us more able to   help.
And you have come to the right place here!

Don't worry too much as to what is the trigger, just get yourself some ammo to
deal with what you/we have got.....

Coming in and out of cycle. alcohol IS a trigger.. Alcohol during, well that's your call....
Please read on here and, you will get all the support and strength to do battle...


Quote:

Thank you all for being here. And hopefully one day they can find an actual cause and cure

One of US now, failure is NOT an option!

Thanks for coming

Respect

Gary

Thanks Gary. And I appreciate your encouraging words. I have my Imitrex prescription filled and I'm going to try the D3 fish and fish oil treatment I read about. My cycle is just starting so hopefully I can shorten it. Once again pleasure to meet you.

Dashawn

Dashawn,
There may be no trigger for you, they may just start spontaneously. Mine are that way. Day after day I'm fine for years and then suddenly out of the blue WHAM!! they're back, no rhyme nor reason.

Alcohol is a trigger for me when I'm in cycle but not when I'm in remission. So it's good you're not drinking anyway. As far as smoking, I've read here that smoking can be a trigger, no doubt you'll be reading more about that as you spend time with us, your new family.

I tried the vitamin D3/fish oil supplement and found that helped a lot as did the Oxygen.  I also use Imitrex nasal spray and the O2 made it possible that I didn't feel like testing fate and going over the maximum dose of two per day.

Wish ya didn't have to be here but glad you found us!  Sit back and see who chimes in, I see good ol' Batty has already said hello.... he likes Blade Runner movie trivia... see if you can stump him! ;D
-Gary

Welcome to the board. Avoiding triggers can slightly lessen the number of attacks, but they will come with or without triggers. As Batty said, it's good to avoid triggers, especially alcohol for many, but concentrate more on always being ready to do battle with the beast.

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Read this link. I'm a 51 year old episodic sufferer, had them about 33 years. Oxygen has all but eliminated my use of trex. I feel the tension starting, I fire off the 02, 6-8 minutes later I'm pain free.

You did not mention any prevent meds, a med you take daily, while in cycle, to lessen the number and or intensity of your hits. Verapamil is a common first line prevent, lithium is what I use, topomax helps many. Might be worth talking to your doc.

Welcome home.

Joe

Hey I'm a vegetarian but even I'm not going to blame the hamburger helper.  :D

The cycles tend to have a life of their own so as the others have said, I wouldn't worry much about something having triggered this episode.

That pill form of imitrex is way too slow for most of us. They really don't expire when the expiration date says they do though, so probably no worries there.

The O2 that's been mentioned is just wildly popular among the CH masses here because it plain works and it's non toxic. I have had tremendous success aborting attacks by using O2 as my primary abortive and fast acting imitrex injections as a backup.

Then if you want to look into the possibility of knocking this entire coming episode out, that's what some folks taking the clusterbuster route have been doing. here are some links to get you up to speed on that if you're interested:
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You came to the right place Dashawn - let's get you onto the O2 etc. quickly so you can say goodbye to those horrible emergency room crises.

As for smmoking, I also quit smoking Cold Turkey, after reading they were a trigger.  But after doing without smokes for over a month and still getting headaches, I decided to start again. Smoking has always been one of my ways to get thru the pain. It seemed to calm me, and by the time I smoked a couple, the pain usually was gone. I also smoke like a chimney, and believe if it was a Trigger I would have a lot more headaches than I do.  Good Luck to ya, with or without the smokes!Hi Dashawn